[vidguy]

I need to seal my Fresh Air duct on the passenger side kick panel in my A/C car. Apparently a common leaker....
I bought the sealing strips/caulk. ..
What is the proper method of sealing it up? Who has done this?

There is one screw way up on the passenger side Ducting under the glove box I cant get out and it's preventing me from pulling the kick panel out. I didn't have lots of time last night to mess with it, but it looks like I need to take out the glove box.

Any helpful tips from experience on removing the A/C ducting, glove box and kick panel?

[vidguy]

Well since no-one piped up. I did something crazy.
First I took out the Kick panel.. Which requires taking out the A/C under dash ducting.

I tested my car to see exactly how it leaked there. I found that along with the upper fender bolt hole letting water drip in, the main source was the cowl screen letting water run down over the airbox/blower housing and running / dripping down right past the cowl hole. And when the kick panel is in place the water hits the inner lip of the kick panel and runs down to the bottom of it, and if not well sealed runs to the floor.

I had an idea..
I cut a gallon plastic jug in half. Then I trimmed out a 2 inch wide "hoop" shaped piece, cut that in half and laid it flat, so I now had a 12 inch strip of plastic, 2 inches wide.

I cut small triangles about 2 inches apart about 3/4 inch deep into one side. I then laid a steel ruler along the inside point of those triangles (about 3/4 inch from that edge) and folded the plastic up to make a flat 90 degree lip.

Using some seam sealer, I reached up into the cowl and placed a bead of the seam sealer about 1 inch away from the inside edge of the fresh air hole. I did this in a U shape up the front side, along the top and down the back side as far As I could.

I then put the plastic strip inside the hole and positioned it so that the flat lip was going to sit flush against the vertical outer side of the cowl. I pressed the lip into the sealer, pressed firmly and shaped the plastic to form a "fender" shape over the cowl hole. I then patiently worked more seam sealer up into the "joint" where the new fender and side cowl wall meet.

I took my hose and tested again..
I could see clearly where the water hit my new fender and now runs down and past the cowl instead of into the car!
It took a few tests with the hose to get the sealing right. But I have been driving the car without the kick panel for 3 days in heavy rain and so far NO leaks where I had lots of water before..

Just make sure the very bottom of the fender there where the water flows out the bottom is clean, so you have a good drain. I had a bit of sand and leaves in there that I cleaned out.

If anyone is interested I could take some pics. If I was really fussy I'd go to the plastics place, now that I know the idea is valid, and pick out some nice plastic. But frankly, I think this is going to last years. I had to take it out once to get the shape right and that seam sealer is strong stuff!!

[LeighP]

Yep, you found one of the great design flaws in the 2nd gen....cut big holes in the air plenum for the vents, then depend on the caulking material to stop the water leaks...they must have known that'd never work properly....they could have pressed a lip/gutter over the top half of the hole that would have cost a few cents on each car - if it had been thought of in the original design.
On my 76 T/A, the vents had been removed by someone, and it leaked badly. I ended up making a blanking plate for each side and sealing them off....no leaks - no air either, but I'd rather the floor was dry.
Incidently, the air plenum was designed to vent into the sill panels - to flush the sills to keep them free of debris.....so the books say....lol.

[vidguy]

interesting about the sill plates.. I will have to look at that...
I still dig the car!
Leaks and all.

[vidguy]

Here are a few pics of the Water deflector.

[Hawk397]

For sealing mine up in the 71, I used DynaMat Exteme - worked great!

Mark